^'" 


The    Favorite   Photograi)h   of  Earle   Williams. 

(By    kini!     pi'rmission    of    The    Vitagrapli    Company.) 


The  Life  of 

Earle  Williams 


By 

Oren  Clayton  Reel 


THE    SHAKESPEARE     PRESS 

114-llC  E.    28th   St. 
New    York 


Copyright,  1915, 

by 
OREN  C.  REEL 


CHAPTERS 

Youthful  Ambitions. 
Stage  Work. 
Film  Work. 
Personality. 
Favorite  Roles. 
Thrilling  Experiences. 
Secrets  of  Success. 
His  Vacations. 
Home  Life. 


Youthful  Ambitions 


IF  one  believes  the  life  of  an  actor  on  the  stage 
or  before  the  camera  is  one  of  ease,  he 
should  not  waste  any  more  time  in  such  idle 
thoughts  but  proceed  to  investigate  and  find  out 
for  himself  if  the  road  to  real  success  is  lined 
with  roses  from  beginning  to  end. 

The  first  person  he  asks,  who  has  gained  a 
reputation  on  the  screen — if  they  have  time  to 
answer  his  question — will  say  that  success  is  at- 
tained only  after  the  hardest  kind  of  work  and 
after  much  striving  for  the  desired  goal. 

Of  course  there  are  some  stars  who  are  made 
overnight,  so  to  speak,  but  they  are  either  en- 
dowed with  an  unusual  talent,  or  they  have  been 
years  in  obscure  parts  and  the  fickle  public  has 
noticed  them  for  the  first  time  in  some  particular 
role  that  happened  to  fit  their  personality  per- 
fectly and  raised  them  to  fame,  or  they  might 
have  visited  the  office  of  a  manager  just  when  he 
wanted  an  actor  for  a  certain  part  and  were 
engaged  for  it.     Then  they  have  gone  away  and 


8  THE     LIFE     OF 

studied  it  thoroughly,  and,  realizing  the  great 
possibilities  of  the  role,  have  been  coached  by 
someone  who  understood  the  art  and  was  able  to 
bring  out  the  good  points  in  the  characterization 
and  subdue  the  faulty  ones. 

Earle  Williams,  one  of  the  best  actors  before 
the  camera  to-day,  was  a  very  long  time  in  even 
trying  to  find  out  what  work  or  profession  he 
was  best  suited  for,  and  then,  after  he  had  started 
on  a  career  before  the  footlights,  he  was  not  ac- 
corded any  real  success  or  lasting  fame  until  he 
had  adopted  the  sister  profession  of  the  moving 
picture  actor,  in  which  work  he  rapidly  arose  to 
the  topmost  pinnacle. 

It  is  so  hard  for  a  young  man  to  choose  the 
line  of  work  he  should  take  up.  There  are  so 
many  people,  who  are  only  too  anxious  to  dis- 
courage him,  that  it  makes  quite  a  puzzling  ques- 
tion to  answer,  if  the  young  man  has  any  doubts 
about  his  future,  and  there  are  many  ambitious 
youths  who  have  such  doubts.  While  it  is  well 
that  he  should  respect  the  wishes  of  his  parents, 
to  whom  he  owes  a  debt  that  he  can  never  repay, 


EARLE     WILLIAMS 


yet  it  is  often  a  waste  of  the  better  things  of  life 
if  one  follows  these  commands  and  fails  to  strike 
out  for  himself. 

Earle  Williams'  uncle,  James  Paget,  was  on 
the  stage,  and  this  was  the  main  stumbling  block 
that  young  Earle  had  to  overcome.  His  uncle 
counseled  against  the  young  man  adopting  the 
stage  as  a  profession. 

James  Paget  is  remembered  as  the  best  char- 
acter actor  of  his  day,  appearing  for  nearly  ten 
years  with  William  H.  Crane,  in  "The  Senator," 
and  later  with  John  Drew  and  Maude  Adams, 
when  they  made  such  a  pronounced  success  in 
"The  Bauble  Shop."  This  play  was  one  of  the 
series  that  followed  their  double  success  in  "The 
Masked  Ball,"  when  Miss  Adams  received  the 
greatest  commendation  for  her  work,  making  the 
"hit"  that  landed  her  in  the  front  rank  in  a  single 
night  and  opening  the  way  for  the  honors  she  has 
since  attained. 

Earle  Williams  was  born  in  Sacramento,  Cali- 
fornia, February  28th,  1880.  His  correct  name 
is  Earle  Rafael  Williams;  his  middle  name  was 


10  THE     LIFE     OF 

taken  partly  from  the  name  of  the  town  of  San 
Rafael,  near  Sacramento. 

His  mother  was  Eva  M.  Paget,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  his  father,  Augustus  P.  Williams,  was 
born  and  raised  in  Booneville,  Missouri. 

The  parents  of  his  mother  moved  to  Califor- 
nia, from  Cincinnati,  shortly  after  1850,  and 
settled  in  Marysville,  afterward  moving  to  Sacra- 
mento. 

His  father  fought  all  through  the  Civil  War 
and,  at  its  close,  went  to  California,  where  he 
met  Miss  Paget,  and  they  were  married. 

Earle  Williams  lived  in  Sacramento  until  he 
was  eight  years  old,  when  his  parents  moved  to 
Oakland,  where  he  spent  his  early  youth. 

Nothing  very  exciting  happened  to  him  during 
those  days.  He  was  educated  in  the  grammar 
grades,  went  through  the  high  school  and  took  a 
course  in  the  Polytechnic  College  in  Oakland. 

He  worked  at  half  a  dozen  different  things 
before  he  thought  he  would  like  to  go  on  the 
stage.  Secretly  he  may  have  longed  for  the  glare 
of  the  footlights,  but  the  influence  of  his  uncle, 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  11 

who  knew  the  pitfalls  of  the  life  on  the  boards 
and  counseled  against  the  adoption  of  this  pro- 
fession as  a  means  of  livelihood,  made  the  young 
man  hold  his  ambition  in  check. 

To-day  Mr.  Williams  is  silent  on  the  part  his 
uncle's  influence  played  in  his  early  attempts  to 
adapt  himself  to  his  niche  in  the  professional 
world  that  was  waiting  for  him. 

After  trying  the  photograph  business,  then 
working  as  a  salesman  in  a  hardware  store,  go- 
ing from  there  to  the  same  capacity  in  a  jewelry 
store,  he  ended  with  two  years  traveling  for  a 
portrait  company  of  Chicago. 

His  going  on  the  stage  was  all  an  accident.  He 
had  been  visiting  his  brother  in  southern  Cali- 
fornia, when  he  got  the  idea  thoroughly  into  his 
head.  It  was  his  uncle's  success  that  made  him 
think  of  adopting  the  stage  as  a  profession.  Pre- 
vious to  this  time  his  first  connection  with  the 
theater  was  as  head-usher  at  the  McDonough 
Theater,  in  Oakland,  when  he  was  about  four- 
teen years  old.  While  in  this  capacity,  he  played 
a  few  small  bits  with    different   touring    com- 


12  THE     LIFE     OF 

panics,  which  were  playing  for  one  night  in  Oak- 
land. He  appeared  in  a  few  amateur  perform- 
ances, but  did  not  have  any  decided  thoughts 
about  going  on  the  regular  stage  until  1901. 

While  visiting  his  brother  he  got  the  idea  into 
his  head  that  he  would  like  to  go  to  New  Orleans. 
He  carried  out  the  desire  and  arrived  in  that 
strange  city  with  only  twenty  dollars  in  his 
pocket  and  immediately  began  looking  for  some 
kind  of  a  position. 

He  tried  several  stores,  but  was  told  they  did 
not  need  anybody  at  that  time.  He  finally  mus- 
tered up  enough  courage  to  apply  for  a  position, 
as  utility  man,  with  the  Baldwin-Melville  Stock 
Company,  then  playing  in  New  Orleans. 

He  had  a  talk  with  Mr.  Baldwin,  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  company,  and  he  sent  him 
back  on  the  stage  to  see  Mr.  Percy  Meldon,  the 
stage  director.  The  latter  seemed  to  like  his 
appearance  and  engaged  him  to  play  a  couple  of 
small  parts  in  a  play  called  "Siberia."' 


Stage  Work 


MR.  WILLIAMS  stayed  with  the  Baldwin- 
Melville  Stock  Company  only  a  few 
weeks  and  was  then  engaged,  as  utility 
man,  with  the  Audubon  Stock  Company,  at  the 
Academy  of  Music. 

He  stayed  with  the  company  for  a  couple  of 
months  and  then  went  back  to  California. 

His  first  engagement,  after  his  return  to  hi5 
home,  was  with  Melbourne  McDowell  and  Flor- 
ence Stone  in  the  Sardou  repertoire,  in  which 
these  stars  made  their  greatest  success,  appear- 
ing in  "Cleopatra,"  "Gismonda,"  "Fedora,"  "La 
Tosca,"  and  "Theodora,"  and  playing  in  San 
Francisco  and  Los  Angeles. 

His  next  engagement  was  with  the  James  Neil 
Stock  Company,  on  tour,  after  which  he  ap- 
peared with  the  People's  Stock  Company,  in 
Vancouver,  British  Columbia. 

He  divided  his  work  on  the  road,  throughout 
his  stage  career,  with  appearances  with  three 
stock  companies.     He  was  with  the  Coronado 


16  THE     LIFE     OF 

Stock  Company,  in  San  Diego,  California,  -and 
then  went  to  the  Belasco  Stock  Company,  in 
Portland,  Oregon,  and  finished  up  with  the  Or- 
pheum  Stock  Company,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
While  with  these  stock  companies  he  played 
such  parts  as  Faust,  in  the  famous  play  of  that 
name;  Colonel  Miles  Anstruther,  in  'The  Second 
in  Command;"  Sir  Geoflfrey  Comfret,  in 
"Heartsease;"  Captain  Stuart,  in  "Soldiers  of 
Fortune;"  Lloyd  Calvert,  in  "The  Heart  of  Mary- 
land;" Black  Michael,  in  "The  Prisoner  of 
Zenda;"  Charles  Le  Martine,  in  "Captain  Jinks 
of  the  Horse  Marines;"  Beauseant,  in  "The  Lady 
of  Lyons;"  Kenelin  Paulton,  in  "The  Road  to 
Yesterday;"  Steve  Townley,  in  "The  Three  of 
Us;"  Fred  Ossian,  in  "The  Butterflies;"  Prince 
Karl,  in  the  play  of  the  same  name;  Oliver  P. 
Sturgis,  in  "Hon.  John  Grigsby;"  Carribert,  in 
"Theodora;"  Lieut.  Rudolf  Heiberg,  in  "The 
Conquerors;"  Ebenezer  Lebanon,  in  "Nathan 
Hale,"  by  Clyde  Fitch;  Hamilton  Travers,  in 
"Are  You  a  Mason?";  Sir  Richard  Philliter,  in 
"Lady  Bountiful;"  Earl  of  Asgarby,  in  "Judah;" 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  17 

and  Horace  Colt,  in  "On  the  Quiet,"  the  great 
success  in  which  William  Collier  made  his  biggest 
hit. 

His  first  engagement  on  tour  was  with  'The 
Dairy  Farm,"  and  this  was  followed  by  another 
4our  of  the  west  with  White  Whittlesey,  in  a 
o^series  of  high-class  plays. 

On  these  tours,  principally  of  the  one-night 
stands,  Mr.  Williams  got  his  first  taste  of  the  bit- 
ter dregs  of  the  cup  of  the  average  actor  and 
experienced  the  set-backs  that  his  uncle  had 
warned  him  against;  but  this  only  served  to 
strengthen  his  determination  to  succeed.  His 
following  work  was  one  step  higher  up  the  rungs 
of  the  ladder  and  showed  the  progress  he  had 
made  in  his  profession  since  the  beginning  with 
the  stock  companies  in  New  Orleans. 

His  next  appearance  was  in  San  Francisco  with 
the  famous  Ben  Greet  company,  in  Shake- 
spearian plays,  and  with  Henry  Miller,  in  one  of 
his  successes  at  that  time. 

Mr.  Williams  came  to  New  York  the  following 
summer  and  began  a  search  for  an  engagement. 


18  THE     LIFE     OF 

His  previous  experience  on  the  stage  enabled  him 
to  secure  the  role  of  the  Dauphin  of  France,  in 
Paul  Kester's  dramatization  of  Charles  Major's 
novel,  ''When  Knighthood  Was  in  Flower."  He 
did  remarkably  well  in  this  role,  which  led  to  his 
next  engagement  to  play  the  part  of  Count  Kar- 
loflf,  with  Henry  E.  Dixey,  in  a  play  by  Grace 
Livingston  Furniss,  entitled,  'The  Man  on  the 
Box,"'  dramatized  from  the  novel  of  the  same 
name  by  Harold  MacGrath. 

His  next  appearance  was  with  Mary  Manner- 
ing,  in  "Glorious  Betsy,"  by  Rida  Johnson 
Young.  This  play  failed  to  appeal  to  New  York 
audiences,  but  made  a  good  showing  throughout 
the  other  parts  of  the  country.  Mr.  Williams 
played  the  part  of  Henry  Clay  in  the  piece. 

Like  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  the  play  of  "Way 
Down  East,"  with  its  New  England  locale,  has 
become  a  classic  similar  to  that  of  the  slavery 
play,  and  many  are  the  actors  whose  names,  at 
some  point  in  their  careers,  have  appeared  on 
the  program  for  this  beloved  play  by  Lottie  Blair 
Parker.    Mr.  Williams  appeared  as  Lennox  San- 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  19 

derson,  in  support  of  Phoebe  Davis,  who,  for 
many  years,  has  starred  in  the  leading  role  of 
Kate. 

Earle  Williams'  star  was  rising  in  the  theatrical 
sky  and  his  next  engagement  gave  sincere 
evidence  of  it.  He  played  the  role  of  Dick  Craw- 
ford, with  Rose  Stahl,  in  'The  Chorus  Lady," 
one  of  the  greatest  hits  on  the  stage,  making  a 
fortune  for  the  star,  author  and  producer,  and 
providing  lucrative  employment  for  many  of  the 
player-folk. 

Following  this  engagement,  he  was  seen  in  the 
cast  of  "The  Third  Degree,"'  with  Helen  Ware. 
He  played  the  part  of  Robert  Underwood,  whose 
suicide,  in  this  remarkable  play,  by  Charles 
Klein,  caused  so  much  trouble  for  Annie  Jeffries, 
the  role  played  by  Miss  Ware.  It  was  this  play 
that  carried  the  actress  to  the  highest  rungs  of 
the  ladder  of  fame. 

He  next  tried  a  season  in  vaudeville,  playing 
the  part  of  Van  Brunt,  with  George  Beban,  in 
"The  Sign  of  the  Rose,"  one  of  the  greatest  hits 
on  the  variety  stage. 


20  THE     LIFE     OF 

With  this  engagement  Earle  Williams'  career 
on  the  speaking  stage  came  to  an  end  as  he  made 
his  first  appearance  in  moving  pictures  during 
the  summer  following  the  vaudeville  season,  and 
was  such  a  success  in  the  new  field,  that  he  has 
never  returned  to  the  stage  to  play  a  part,  but  he 
has  appeared  in  person  at  many  of  the  different 
moving  picture  theatres  throughout  the  country, 
to  lecture  about  his  work  before  the  camera. 

The  following  chapters  will  deal  with  accounts 
and  details  of  his  career  on  the  screen  and  his 
intimate  home  life. 


Earle  Williams  as  John  Storm  in  "The  Christian. 

(By    kind    permission    of    Tlie    Vltagrapli    Company.) 


Film  Work 


ANY  of  the  photoplayers,  at  the  time  of 
their  entry  into  the  profession,  were  ad- 
vised by  someone  to  go  to  a  certain  film 
manufacturing  company  in  quest  of  an  engage- 
ment with  the  stock  company. 

Many  players  are  located  in  this  way  in  some 
obscure  road  company  and  given  the  much- 
desired  chance  to  make  a  name  for  themselves 
on  the  screen. 

Mr.  Williams  was  engaged  in  a  similar  manner. 
He  got  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  Frederick 
A.  Thomson,  a  Vitagraph  director,  from  the 
Packard  Theatrical  Exchange,  of  New  York. 

It  was  not  exactly  necessary  that  Mr.  Williams 
should  have  immediate  employment,  but,  being 
inclined  to  be  industrious,  he  thought  he  would 
like  to  work  during  the  summer  with  some  mo- 
tion picture  company  and  refrain  from  loafing 
about  town  until  the  opening  of  the  regular 
theatrical  season. 

At  the  time  he  did  not  see  the  great  possibilities 


24  THE     LIFE     OF 

of  film  work.  The  legitimate  players  did  not 
care  for  the  moving  picture  business  and  sort  of 
looked  down  on  it. 

Mr.  Charles  Frohman,  the  well-known  theatri- 
cal manager,  even  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  he 
would  never  engage  a  player  who  had  appeared 
on  the  screen. 

He  has  changed  his  mind  since  then  and  is  now 
interested  in  the  Famous  Players  Film  Company, 
with  his  brother,  Daniel  Frohman.  The  latter 
was  the  first  of  the  more  prominent  managers  to 
enter  the  field  of  the  motion  pictures  with  a  first- 
class  company  of  his  own. 

An  amusing  incident,  in  this  respect,  occurred 
to  Mr.  Williams  after  he  had  been  in  the  service 
of  the  Vitagraph  Company  for  about  three 
months. 

He  had  an  offer  to  play  the  juvenile  part  in 
"The  Runaway,"  with  Miss  Billie  Burke,  but 
when  he  mentioned  the  matter  to  one  of  the  of- 
ficers of  the  motion  picture  company,  he 
promptly  gave  him  a  substantial  increase  in 
salary  and  he  remained  with  the  film  concern. 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  25 

Miss  Burke  was,  at  that  time,  and  is  yet,  I  be- 
lieve, under  the  management  of  Mr.  Charles 
Frohman.  If  Mr.  Williams  had  agreed  to  accept 
the  engagement  to  support  Miss  Burke,  it  would 
have  been  interesting  to  note  the  attitude  of  Mr. 
Frohman,  when  he  discovered  that  one  of  his 
subordinates  had  really  engaged  a  "detested" 
screen  player  in  support  of  his  well-known  star. 

Mr.  Williams  was  not  one  of  the  first  players 
to  apply  for  a  position  with  the  Vitagraph.  In 
fact  the  company  had  been  in  existence  for  eight 
years  but  they  had  very  few  leading  men  and 
were  just  beginning  to  designate,  on  the  screen, 
the  names  of  the  more  prominent  people  in  the 
cast. 

The  Vitagraph  was  among  the  first  of  the  film 
companies,  releasing  on  the  general  program, 
to  seize  upon  the  wonderful  drawing  power  of 
the  names  of  the  players  as  an  advertising  asset. 
Where  one  is  aware  of  the  names,  it  is  so  much 
easier  for  one  to  describe  a  player  one  likes  in  a 
certain  picture. 


26  THE     LIFE     OF 

Of  course  the  idea  is  expensive,  as  it  tends  to 
increase  salaries. 

Mr.  Williams  says  he  does  not  recall  that  he 
had  any  special  impressions  or  feelings  in  partic- 
ular on  the  way  to  the  office  of  the  Vitagraph. 

He  was  not  very  anxious  about  going  into  the 
business,  but,  since  then,  he  has  been  very  glad 
he  made  the  plunge. 

Mr.  Albert  E.  Smith,  of  the  Vitagraph  Com- 
pany, was  very  nice  to  him  and  seemed  to  like 
him  from  the  beginning.  He  began  work  after 
he  had  been  there  about  a  week,  under  the  able 
direction  of  Mr.  Frederick  A.  Thomson. 

This  man  should  not  be  confused  with  the 
Frederick  Thompson,  of  Hippodrome  fame,  as 
he  is  no  relation  of  the  latter. 

The  present  Vitagraph  director  has  had  years 
of  stage  experience  and  was  for  a  long  time  asso- 
ciated with  David  Belasco. 

Mr.  Thomson,  whom  Mr.  Williams  had  known 
slightly  when  they  were  in  the  legitimate  busi- 
ness, was  very  kind  to  him.  Mr.  Williams  is  of 
the  opinion  that  Frederick  A.  Thomson  is  one  of 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  27 

the  most  capable  directors  in  the  moving  picture 
business. 

Mr.  Williams  made  good  instantly  and  has 
been  with  the  Vitagraph  Company  ever  since, 
and  hopes  to  remain  there  for  many  years  to 
come.  Messrs.  Rock,  Smith  and  Blackton,  the 
owners  of  the  Vitagraph,  are  the  finest  men  he 
has  ever  worked  for  and  he  thinks  they  deserve 
all  the  success  that  has  come  to  them. 

The  first  picture  he  appeared  in  was  'The 
Thumb  Print,"  playing  the  part  of  Jack  Plymp- 
ton,  with  Harry  Morey  as  Abe  Case,  the  post- 
master, and  Helen  Gardner  as  the  heroine,  Helen 
Mowbry. 

The  plot  of  the  photoplay  is  very  interesting. 
An  unscrupulous  postmaster  of  a  small  town  is 
in  love  with  Helen  Mowbry,  but  she  does  not 
love  him.  She  meets  a  young  fellow,  Jack 
Plympton,  and  they  fall  in  love  with  each  other. 
He  is  called  east  on  business;  to  be  gone  indefi- 
nitely. He  writes  to  his  sweetheart,  but  the 
letters  are  intercepted  by  the  postmaster  and 
they  never  reach  her. 


28  THE     LIFE     OF 

She,  thinking  he  has  forgotten  her,  is  heart- 
broken and,  when  the  postmaster  proposes,  she 
accepts  him. 

Prior  to  this,  an  Italian  resident  of  this  small 
town  is  cheated  in  a  business  deal  by  the  post- 
master and  swears  vengenance.  The  postmaster 
and  his  bride  go  to  New  York  and  there,  at  a 
ball,  she  meets  her  old  sweetheart  and  learns 
the  truth;  that  he  had  written  her  repeatedly  and 
had  never  received  an  answer  to  his  many  letters. 

They  meet  occasionally  and  are  suspected  by 
the  husband.  In  the  meantime  the  Italian  has 
followed  the  postmaster  to  New  York,  and  one 
night,  during  a  party,  kills  him.  He  makes  his 
escape  and  the  crime  is  fastened  upon  the  post- 
master's wife. 

They  trace  the  murderer  by  the  thumb  print 
on  the  dagger.  He  is  brought  in  during  the  trial, 
confesses  to  the  crime,  and  the  photoplay  ends 
happily. 

Mr.  Thomson  was  impressed  with  the  actor's 
ability  from  the  start  and  has  often  told  many 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  29 

people  that  he  considered  Earle  Williams  the 
finest  actor  on  the  screen. 

The  actor  reciprocates  the  regard  of  the  direc- 
tor. He  thinks  every  actor  should  be  under  a 
good  director  because  ''we  can  never  see  our- 
selves as  others  see  us."  An  actor  cannot  direct 
himself  as  well  as  having  a  director  do  it  for  him. 

The  director  always  stands  next  to  the  camera 
and  directs  the  players.  They  always  rehearse  a 
scene  several  times  and  then  take  it. 

The  question  was  put  to  Mr.  Williams,  if  he 
felt  that  had  he  remained  on  the  stage  and  had 
not  come  under  the  influence  of  a  director — on 
the  stage  one  must  rely  on  one's  self  after  the 
play  begins— whether  he  would  have  remained 
in  the  ranks  of  the  average  actor  or  if  he  thought 
he  could  have  risen  to  the  top. 

"That  is  a  hard  question  to  answer,"  he  re- 
plied. "I  cannot  tell  whether  I  would  have  been 
a  'star'  if  I  had  remained  on  the  legitimate  stage. 
Even  stars  should  be  directed  and  a  great  many 
of  them  deteriorate  when  they  are  not." 

Mr.  Williams  is  best  suited  for  serious  roles 


30  THE     LIFE     OF 

and  prefers  to  play  them.  On  the  stage  he  gen- 
erally played  ''heavies,"  but  the  Vitagraph  peo- 
ple insisted  that  he  should  be  a  leading  man. 

He  occasionally  plays  a  comedy  role  for  a 
change,  but  is  generally  cast  for  serious  parts,  in 
which  line  of  roles  he  considers  he  has  done  his 
best  work,  preferring  strong,  dramatic  parts. 

In  regard  to  the  choice  of  the  Vitagraph  lead- 
ing women  that  he  prefers  to  act  with,  he  likes 
to  play  opposite  Anita  Stewart  or  Edith  Storey, 
because  he  considers  them  the  best  leading 
women  there. 

The  combination  of  a  good  director  and  con- 
genial players  is  shown  to  advantage  in  nu- 
merous photoplays  directed  by  Frederick  A. 
Thomson,  with  Earle  Williams,  in  the  leading 
male  role,  and  with  Edith  Storey,  or  Anita  Stew- 
art playing  opposite. 

The  effectiveness  of  "The  Mischief  Maker,"  a 
two-part  feature  drama,  was  due  to  the  wonder- 
ful acting  of  Earle  Williams,  Edith  Storey  and 
Rita  Bori,  the  latter  playing  the  titular  role. 

The  action  of  the  photoplay  holds  the  attention 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  31 

from  beginning  to  end.  The  romance  between 
Dolly,  played  by  Edith  Storey,  and  Peter,  played 
by  Earle  Williams,  is  fast  drawing  to  a  crucial 
point,  only  Peter  is  unable  to  decide  whether  he 
wants  Dolly  or  Anita,  Dolly's  school  chum, 
played  by  Rita  Bori,  who  is  visiting  Dolly  and 
who  is  secretly  in  love  with  Peter. 

An  accident  to  Dolly,  in  which  she  shows  her 
brave  spirit  when  she  is  thrown  from  a  horse  and 
sprains  her  ankle,  but  bears  the  pain  wonder- 
fully, decides  Peter  and  he  proposes  to  Dolly  and 
they  are  married. 

At  a  house-party  shortly  after  the  wedding, 
the  jealous  Anita  sees  Dolly  and  Billy,  who  is 
a  good,  true  friend  of  the  husband  and  wife,  in 
close  conversation  together  and  leads  the  hus- 
band to  the  best  vantage-ground,  where  he  can 
witness  the  innocent  actions  of  the  couple.  With 
insinuating  remarks  Anita  sows  the  seeds  of  sus- 
picion in  his  mind  which  immediately  take  root 
and  blossom  wonderfully.  The  husband,  unduly 
suspicious,    accuses    the    wife,    who,    through 


32  THE     LIFE     OF 

womanly  pride,  refuses  to  state  the  nature  of 
the  conversation  she  was  having  with  Billy. 

The  husband,  thinking  she  is  untrue  to  him, 
plans  to  go  to  the  city  and  live  apart  from  her 
until  they  can  come  to  some  mutual  understand- 
ing in  regard  to  the  difficulty.  He  leaves  on  an 
early  morning  train  after  writing  a  note  explain- 
ing his  intentions.  He  slips  the  note  under  her 
bedroom  door. 

Anita,  to  escape  the  tense  atmosphere  which 
she  has  created,  decides  to  return  to  her  home  on 
the  same  train  that  will  carry  the  husband,  but 
she  is  not  aware  of  the  husband's  decision  to  this 
effect.  She  pens  a  note  of  regret  anent  her  hasty 
departure  and  slips  this  under  the  wife's  bed- 
room door. 

Dolly,  arising  earlier  than  usual,  discovers  the 
two  notes,  and,  after  reading  the  contents,  hits 
upon  a  plan  to  get  her  husband  back  and  rid 
herself  of  the  selfish  friendship  of  Anita. 

She  tries  to  catch  the  train  that  carries  her  hus- 
band and  Anita,  but  comes  to  the  depot  just  as 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  3.3 

the  rear  car  of  the  train  disappears  around  the 
curve  toward  the  city. 

The  wife,  enlisting  the  aid  of  her  other  chum, 
Nell,  routs  Billy  out  of  bed  and  they  make  the 
trip  to  the  city  in  an  automobile,  before  the  train 
arrives,  and  meet  the  husband  and  Anita  as  they 
are  leaving  the  depot.  Dolly  accuses  Peter,  who, 
realizing  the  false  position  he  is  in,  asks  forgive- 
ness for  his  conduct  of  the  night  before,  when 
he  accused  her  unjustly  of  improper  relations 
with  Billy,  whom  he  now  sees  with  Nell,  and  he 
wishes  to  explain  that  he  is  not  eloping  with 
Anita,  but  that  it  is  an  accident  that  they  are 
together. 

But  the  wife  does  not  forgive  at  once  and  we 
witness  the  spectacle  of  the  dignified  Peter,  run- 
ning up  a  public  thoroughfare,  alongside  of  the 
automobile,  in  a  vain  effort  to  secure  the  for- 
giveness of  his  wife,  who  wishes  the  lesson  to 
sink  in  deeply.  The  husband  takes  the  train 
home  and  is  forgiven  when  he  arrives. 

It  was  quite  interesting,  as  well  as  amusing, 
to  see  the  dignified  actor,  in  the  role  of  Peter, 


34  THE     LIFE     OF 

with  a  suit-case  in  his  hand,  running  up  the 
street,  trying  to  reconcile  his  wife  as  to  his 
innocence. 

Many  players  on  the  screen  have  traveled  all 
over  the  United  States  and  others  have  circled 
the  globe  for  unusual  settings.  'The  Christian" 
was  the  only  picture  that  Mr.  Williams  has  ap- 
peared in,  where  he  had  to  go  to  a  large  city, 
outside  of  New  York,  for  scenes.  These  were 
taken  in  and  around  Boston,  which  was  modeled 
after  London.  They  wanted  some  street  scenes 
that  looked  like  London,  so  they  went  there  for 
them.  Most  of  the  scenes  of  the  plays,  that  he 
appears  in,  are  taken  in  and  around  New  York 
and  part  of  New  Jersey. 

Some  of  the  leading  players  in  the  company, 
at  the  time  Mr.  Williams  was  engaged,  were 
Maurice  Costello,  Helen  Gardner,  Edith  Storey, 
Leo  Delaney,  Florence  Turner,  William  Dunn, 
Harry  Morey  and  Charles  Kent. 

Earle  Williams  is  one  of  the  highest  salaried 
players  with  the  Vitagraph  Company. 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  35 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  Mr.  Frederick 
A.  Thomson  has  severed  his  connection  with  the 
Vitagraph  Company  of  America  and  is  at  pres- 
ent, I  believe,  with  the  Famous  Players  Film 
Company.  Mr.  Ralph  Ince,  his  present  director, 
is  the  best  dramatic  director  now  with  the  Vita- 
graph.  He  is  a  brother-in-law  of  Anita  Stewart 
and  brother  of  Thomas  H.  Ince,  General  Mana- 
ger of  the  New  York  Motion  Picture  Corpora- 
tion, which  releases  the  Domino,  Kay-Bee  and 
Broncho  brands  on  the  Mutual  Program,  and  a 
large  number  of  feature  photoplays  for  the  Para- 
mount and  other  programs. 


Personality 


Earle  Williams. 


(By    kind    permission    of    The    \'iragTaiih     Coinpany) 


EARLE  WILLIAMS  is  of  pleasing  appear- 
ance, with  full  face  and  dreamy,  peaceful 
eyes.    He  has  a  retiring  demeanor. 

This  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  it  was  only 
after  untiring,  persistent  effort  on  my  part  that 
I  was  able  to  induce  him  to  allow  me  to  write 
this  book  for  the  public. 

He  realizes  that  the  motion  picture  lovers  are 
anxious  to  know  more  about  the  career  and  pri- 
vate life  of  the  people  they  know  on  the  screen 
and  have  come  to  regard  as  more  than  mere  pup- 
pets, whose  business  it  is  to  give  life  to  the  brain- 
child of  a  scenario  writer. 

He  is  very  quiet  and  reserved.  This  trait 
stands  out  to  advantage  on  the  screen,  as  the 
trend  in  modern  film  characterization  is  toward 
the  dignified,  rather  than  the  florid,  gesticulating 
style,  as  illustrated  by  the  movements  of  the 
actors  and  actresses  of  the  films  issued  by  some 
of  the  French  companies.  This  latter  style  is 
suitable  for  a  slap-stick  comedy,  but,  where  the 


40  THE     LIFE     OF 


tragedy  of  every-day  life  is  to  be  portrayed,  it  is 
found  to  be  inadequate. 

His  quiet  and  reserved  manner,  from  his  first 
appearance  on  the  screen,  gives  strength  to  the 
photoplay  and  makes  it  stand  out,  like  a  diamond 
of  the  purest  water,  bringing  the  film  up  to  the 
high  standard  demanded  of  the  more  recent 
photoplays  and  giving  it  a  quality  much  desired 
by  the  film-producing  companies,  thereby  in- 
creasing his  prestige  in  the  eyes  of  the  officers, 
who,  in  a  great  measure,  control  his  destiny. 

After  you  have  seen  Earle  Williams  in  a  pic- 
ture, you  are  struck  with  the  force  of  his  per- 
sonality and  the  ability  to  give  truth  and  life  to 
the  make-believe  part  in  the  photoplay. 

If  you  happen  to  approach  a  picture  theater, 
and,  glancing  at  the  posters  in  front,  see  the 
name  of  Earle  Williams  lithographed  in  bright, 
bold  letters  on  it,  you  instinctively  reach  in  your 
pocket  for  the  necessary  admission  fee,  purchase 
a  ticket  and  enter,  firm  in  the  opinion  that  you 
are  going  to  see  a  good  picture  and  a  truthful, 
clean-cut  and  excellent  characterization.     Such 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  41 

is  the  wonderful  drawing  power  of  his  name  and 
personality. 

In  private  life  he  hates  to  attract  attention  and 
does  not  care  for  a  great  amount  of  publicity,  but 
he  realizes  that,  to  be  successful  in  his  profes- 
sion, one  has  to  have  a  certain  amount  of  it. 

Earle  Williams'  friends  are  numbered  by  the 
thousands.  These  friends  are  drawn  to  him 
through  the  magnetism  of  his  personality  on  the 
screen.  They  are  numerous  in  every  city,  town 
or  village  of  the  world  wherever  there  is  a  mov- 
ing picture  theater. 

In  private  life  he  is  slow  to  make  confidential 
friends.  Believing  strongly  in  the  old  adage, 
"Once  a  friend,  always  a  friend,"  he  is  slow  to 
take  up  new  acquaintances  until  he  feels  sure 
the  confidence  will  not  be  misplaced. 

The  seriousness  of  life  is  apparent  to  him  and 
he  does  not  care  much  for  the  social  functions  of 
the  average  person— such  as  dancing  out  and 
visiting  cabarets. 

From  these  qualities  you  will  readily  see  that 


42  THE     LIFE     OF 

they  make  for  success,  allowing  him  to  concen- 
trate on  the  work  he  alone  can  do. 

He  has  only  been  in  the  moving  picture  busi- 
ness three  and  one-half  years,  but  in  that  time  he 
has  won  two  contests  as  the  most  popular  actor 
in  America. 

I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  he  has 
reached  the  top  rungs  of  the  ladder  of  fame 
quicker  than  any  other  photoplayer. 


Favorite  Roles 


Earle  Williams  as  John  Storm  in  "The  Christian." 

(By    kind    permission    of    Tlie    Vitagraph    Company.) 


EARLE  WILLIAMS  has  a  number  of  fa- 
vorite roles,  but  the  one  that  he  really 
prefers,  is  John  Storm,  in  'The  Chris- 
tian." The  part  appeals  to  him  because  he  was 
a  serious,  pure-minded  man.  It  is  a  strong  dra- 
matic part  and  gives  the  actor  an  opportunity  to 
do  some  real  dramatic  acting.  He  was  selected 
for  the  part  because  he  is  a  gentleman  to  his 
finger-tips  and  could  act;  two  qualities  the  diffi- 
cult role  required. 

The  part  of  Ruskin,  in  "The  Love  of  John 
Ruskin,"  appealed  to  him  because  he  was  won- 
derfuly  self-sacrificing,  and  it  aiforded  some  ex- 
cellent opportunities  for  sympathetic  acting. 

The  ideals  and  ideas  of  some  of  the  most  prom- 
inent men  in  history  were  exceedingly  strange 
and  past  finding  out.  John  Ruskin,  poet  and 
litterateur,  held  very  strange  views  on  the  sub- 
ject of  marriage,  as  displayed  by  his  surrender 
of  his  wife  to  his  friend.  Sir  John  Millais.  Rus- 
kin became  acquainted  with  his  wife  through  a 


46  THE     LIFE     OF 

loan  which  he  made  to  her  father,  and  his  noted 
generosity,  no  doubt,  appealed  to  her,  and  it 
seems  that  she  married  him  more  out  of  gratitude 
than  actual  love.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  fact  re- 
mains that  when  Millais  met  her,  he  and  she  fell 
desperately  in  love  with  each  other.  Ruskin 
observed  this;  not  at  once,  however.  His  mind 
was  absorbed  in  his  literary  effusions,  and  at  first 
he  paid  little  heed  to  it,  but  eventually  he  woke 
up  to  a  realization  of  their  mutual  affection. 
Ruskin  loved  his  wife  intensely,  but  he  was  not 
demonstrative.  His  heart  was  bowed  down  with 
a  great  sorrow,  but  he  would  not  deny  his  wife 
that  love  which  he  could  not  enjoy  himself.  He 
willingly  gave  her  freedom  and  released  her  from 
her  marriage  vows.  He  not  only  consented  to 
the  marriage  with  Millais,  but  acted  as  best  man 
at  the  wedding,  congratulating  them  and  remain- 
ing a  friend  to  them  always. 

The  part  of  Carl,  in  "Vengeance  of  Durand," 
is  a  favorite  because  of  the  strong  scenes 
wherein  Carl  has  been  duped  by  his  foster  sister's 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  47 

husband,  the  big  fight  and  his  temporary  in- 
sanity. 

The  part  of  Muelbach,  in  "The  Bond  of  Mu- 
sic," was  that  of  a  German  spy,  during  the 
Franco-Prussian  War.  His  wonderful  affection 
for  the  old  French  musician  is  his  redeeming 
feature. 

Oscar  Muelbach,  a  young  lieutenant  of  the 
German  Army,  is  stopping  in  a  French  town  get- 
ting information.  He  is  passing  as  a  young  mu- 
sician and  lodging  with  Pierre  Lenoir.  He  cul- 
tivates a  great  friendship  with  Francois  Viau,  an 
old  'cellist,  firstly,  because  it  helps  carry  out  his 
disguise,  and,  secondly,  because  he  really  is  fond 
of  music.  He  learns  to  like  the  old  man  very 
much.  Rumors  of  a  spy  being  in  the  town  get 
about,  and  Lenoir's  suspicions  are  aroused.  He 
confides  his  suspicions  to  his  sister  and  shows  her 
an  offer  of  reward  for  the  capture  of  the  spy, 
which  he  hopes  to  gain.  Oscar  overhears  him 
and  flees  the  house.  Lenoir  gives  the  alarm  and 
Oscar  is  pursued  by  the  gendarmes  and  people. 
He  takes  refuge  with  Francois  and  prays  to  him 


48  THE     LIFE     OF 

to  save  him,  confessing  wlio  he  is.  At  first  Fran- 
cois is  going  to  give  him  up,  then  their  bond 
of  musical  fellowship  is  too  strong  for  him.  He 
hides  the  young  German  and  assists  him  to 
escape.  A  year  after,  the  town  is  taken  by  the 
Germans.  They  invade  Francois'  cottage  and 
find  him  playing  his  'cello.  They  try  to  turn  him 
out  of  his  house  in  order  to  set  it  on  fire.  In 
doing  so,  they  break  his  beloved  'cello.  He  seizes 
a  gun  and  shoots  and  wounds  one  of  the  men. 
He  is  arrested  as  a  non-combatant  bearing  arms 
and  condemned  to  be  shot.  Oscar  hears  of  his 
old  friend's  sentence  and  saves  him  just  as  the 
soldiers  are  about  to  shoot.  The  old  musician 
thanks  him,  but  sits  mourning  over  his  shattered 
'cello,  which  nothing  can  restore. 

Mr.  Williams  likes  the  part  of  Towne,  in 
"Love's  Sunset,"  because  it  ran  the  gamut  of 
love,  hate,  revenge  and  remorse.  The  scenes 
between  Towne  and  his  little  son,  after  Towne's 
wife  has  been  turned  out  into  the  street,  are  very 
pathetic.  He  thinks  it  was  one  of  the  saddest 
pictures  ever  put  on  the  screen. 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  49 

Wrapped  up  in  his  art,  women  do  not  attract 
Wilton  Towne.  He  shows  this  plainly  at  a  dance 
and  is  glad  when  Harold  Heath,  an  intimate 
friend,  takes  him  away.  He  goes  straight  home, 
but  Heath  stops  at  a  fashionable  restaurant, 
where  he  becomes  fascinated  by  a  beautiful 
cabaret  dancer,  named  Nita  Travers.  He  per- 
suades her  to  give  up  dancing  and  enjoy  a  life  of 
ease  with  him.  Her  happiness  is  short-lived, 
however,  for  Heath  soon  tires  of  her  and  goes 
away  to  Europe.  She  is  then  forced  to  go  out 
and  earn  her  living.  She  falls  rapidly  in  the  scale 
of  life  and  finally  becomes  a  dancer  in  a  cheap, 
vulgar  dance  hall.  She  is  taken  from  there  by  a 
Salvation  Army  rescue  woman,  and  gotten  a  po- 
sition as  nursemaid  with  a  wealthy  family  who 
have  two  dear  little  children.  Towne,  the  artist, 
knows  the  family  and  visits  them  often.  He 
becomes  interested  in  Nita  and  eventually  falls 
in  love  with  her.  A  realization  of  this  comes  to 
him  as  he  sits  alone  in  his  cozy  den  and  sees  her 
sweet,  beautiful  face  in  a  cloud  of  cigarette 
smoke.    When  Towne  proposes  to  Nita,  she  feels 


50  THE     LIFE     OF 

that  she  should  tell  him  of  her  past  life,  but  she 
longs  so  much  for  his  love  that  she  has  not  the 
courage  to  do  so  and  becomes  his  wife  without 
letting  him  know.  Her  married  life  is  blissfully 
happy,  filled  with  the  love  of  her  husband  and  of 
2i  dear,  little  golden-haired  boy  with  which  they 
are  blessed.  Three  years  after  Heath's  departure 
for  Europe,  he  returns  home.  He  hears  of 
Towne's  marriage  and  goes  to  see  him  at  his 
country  villa.  When  Nita  recognizes  him  she 
almost  collapses  with  terror  and  reveals  all  to  her 
husband.  He  is  furious  and  drives  her  from  the 
house.  She  wanders  away  and  soon  loses  her 
mind.  Days  afterward  she  strays  back  to  the 
villa  only  to  die  in  the  arms  of  her  husband  not 
knowing  that  he  has  forgiven  her.  Their  little 
boy  stands  nearby  looking  on  with  big,  won- 
drous eyes. 

The  part  of  Lieut.  Brace,  in  "The  Red  Bar- 
rier," appealed  to  him  because  he  was  the  typical 
manly  American  gentleman. 

With  the  astuteness  peculiar  to  his  cunning 
and  brutish  nature.   Count  Sergius  ingratiates 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  51 

himself  into  the  favor  of  Professor  Bain,  and  in- 
duces the  old  gentleman  to  consent  to  sacrifice 
his  daughter  Isabel  upon  the  altar  of  Mammon, 
and  wear  his  titled  yoke.  She  loves  Lieutenant 
Brace,  of  the  United  States  Navy.  The  lieuten- 
ant is  a  poor  man  and  hesitates  to  declare  him- 
self. Isabel  reads  in  the  newspapers  that  the 
lieutenant  has  gone  to  Genoa.  She  is  surprised 
and  greatly  piqued,  because  he  did  not  come  to 
bid  her  good-bye.  The  fact  is.  Brace  sent  her  a 
note  asking  permission  to  call,  and  it  was  never 
delivered.  In  the  anger  of  her  disappointment 
she  consents  to  become  the  wife  of  the  Count. 
He,  madly  elated,  attempts  to  draw  her  to  him. 
She  repulses  him  and  tells  him  that  she  will 
marry  him  but  that  she  does  not  love  him.  Two 
years  later  Isabel  and  the  Count  are  living  in 
luxury  and  unhappiness  in  St.  Petersburg,  Rus- 
sia. A  state  ball  is  given.  Count  Sergius  and 
Isabel  are  there.  Lieutenant  Brace,  visiting  St. 
Petersburg,  is  present.  Brace  rushes  to  Isabel's 
side;  she  faints  at  the  sight  of  him,  and  he 
supports  her  to  a  seat.    At  this  moment  Sergius 


52  THE     LIFE     OF 

enters.  Brace  offers  his  hand,  which  the  Count 
refuses  and  roughly  seizes  his  wife.  Brace  rushes 
forward,  grabs  the  Russian  and  throws  him  to 
one  side.  Sergius  demands  an  apology  and  in- 
sults Brace.  Cards  are  exchanged  and  a  duel 
between  the  two  men  is  arranged.  Brace  and 
the  Count  meet  upon  the  dueling  field.  Isabel 
witnesses  it  all,  praying  for  the  safety  of  Brace. 
At  the  exchange  of  shots  the  Russian  falls  dead. 
Brace  visits  Isabel.  She  greets  him  with  a  love 
which  has  ever  been  his  and  he  declares  the  love 
which  has  ever  been  hers.  As  she  throws  herself 
into  his  arms,  again  the  vision  in  red  of  Count 
Sergius  appears  before  them.  They  look  into 
each  other's  eyes  and  say,  ''Between  us  forever 
lies  this  Red  Barrier;  until  it  is  removed  we  can- 
not meet  again,"  and  they  depart  from  each 
other. 

Another  favorite  role  is  Norris,  in  "The  Sins 
of  the  Mothers,"  the  thousand-dollar  prize-win- 
ning story  of  the  Vitagraph-Sun  Contest,  which 
was  won  by  Elaine  Sterne. 

At  an  early  age,  Trix,  the  daughter  of  Mrs. 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  53 


Raymond,  who  is  secretly  the  proprietress  of  a 
gambhng-  resort,  shows  an  inherited  tendency  to 
gambHng.  Mrs.  Raymond  sends  her  to  a  convent 
school  and  learning  that  Trix  desires  to  become 
a  nun,  her  mother  gives  her  consent,  provided 
she  still  cares  for  that  life,  after  spending  a  year 
in  the  social  world.  The  girl  is  taken  into  the 
social  set  and  learns  the  evil  ways  of  the  world. 
With  a  beginner's  luck,  she  wins  at  the  gaming 
table,  until  her  mother,  frightened,  begs  her  to 
play  no  more.  It  is  too  late,  the  girl  cannot  stop, 
and  when  the  inevitable  turn  of  luck  comes,  she 
is  plunged  into  debt.  She  calls  upon  Norris,  an 
old  sweetheart,  for  help,  and  after  paying  her 
debts,  he  begs  her  to  marry  him.  She  consents, 
but  soon  after  the  wedding  breaks  her  promise 
by  betting  on  a  horse  race.  She  continues  gam- 
bling surreptitiously  and  loses  money  borrowed 
from  Dovey,  the  old  servant.  Finally,  she  pawns 
a  necklace  given  her  by  Norris.  Dovey  is  ac- 
cused of  theft  and  lies  to  save  her  young  mis- 
tress. She  is  arrested.  Norris  finds  the  pawn 
ticket,  forces  a  confession  from  his  almost  insane 


54  THE     LIFE     OF 

wife  and  secures  Dovey's  release.  Her  mother 
sells  her  business  to  Henry  De  Voie,  a  gambler, 
and  takes  Trix  away  for  a  trip.  Norris  is  later 
elected  District  Attorney,  and  resolves  to  stamp 
out  gambling.  Trix  again  finds  herself  in  the 
terrible  clutches  of  the  gambling  fever  and, 
unknown  to  her  husband,  plays  at  De  Voie's 
gambling  house.  Her  mother  finds  her  there  one 
night  and  it  so  happens  that  Norris  has  decided 
to  raid  the  place  on  the  same  evening.  When  he 
and  his  men  burst  into  the  place  they  find  both 
Trix  and  her  mother.  The  proprietor  tells  Norris 
the  truth,  and  in  a  quarrel  De  Voie  draws  a 
revolver  with  the  intention  of  shooting  Norris. 
This  is  forestalled  by  Trix's  mother,  who,  with 
one  loving  look  at  her  daughter,  atones  for  her 
sins  by  throwing  herself  between  the  two  men 
and  receiving  the  bullet  in  her  own  heart.  Norris 
leads  his  sobbing  wife  away  and  she  turns  her 
back  on  the  gaming  table  forever. 

Another  favorite  role  is  that  of  John  Emerson, 
in  "Two  Women.'' 

John  Emerson,  a  clean-cut,  manly  man,  wor- 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  55 

ships  his  beautiful,  but  weak  and  misguided 
wife,  Qeo,  and  is  blind  to  her  disloyalty, 
although  she  gives  him  every  evidence  of  her 
aversion.  She  is  carrying  on  a  flirtation  with 
John's  employer,  Robert  Lawler,  and  wishing  to 
make  his  complete  conquest,  the  latter  sends 
John  out  of  town  on  business,  then  invites  Cleo 
to  take  an  automobile  ride.  She  accepts.  John 
arrives  home  early,  and,  not  finding  his  wife,  sits 
down  to  wait  for  her.  When  she  and  Lawler 
come  in,  John  upbraids  her  for  her  behavior, 
and,  after  some  hot  words,  knocks  his  employer 
down.  Six  months  later,  John,  now  divorced, 
reads  of  Cleo's  marriage  to  Lawler  and  their 
departure  for  Europe.  Broken  in  health  and 
spirits  Emerson  leaves  for  the  North  Woods, 
where  he  finds  rest  and  recreation,  hunting  and 
fishing.  On  one  of  his  rambles,  he  meets  Anita 
of  the  Woodland,  and  is  completely  captivated 
by  her  beauty  and  unconscious  witchery. 
Friendship  ripens  into  love,  and  after  telling  her 
and  her  father  the  story  of  his  former  wife, 
secures  her  consent  to  become  his  wife.    Mean- 


56  THE     LIFE     OF 


time,  Lawler  tires  of  Cleo,  becomes  enamoured 
of  a  married  woman,  whose  husband  finds  them 
in  a  compromising  situation  and  shoots  both. 
Cleo,  now  a  wealthy  widow,  returns  to  New 
York,  secures  John's  address,  and  arrives  at  the 
cabin  in  the  woods,  while  he  is  away.  On  his 
return,  Emerson  is — for  the  time  being — blinded 
by  her  beauty,  but  Anita  coming  in  at  this 
moment,  breaks  the  spell  and,  scorning  Cleo,  he 
takes  Anita  in  his  arms,  while  Cleo  returns  to 
New  York  disappointed  in  her  mission  and 
piqued  by  her  failure  to  reclaim  the  love  she  had 
forfeited. 

Last,  but  not  least,  in  the  galaxy  of  splendid 
characterizations,  stands  the  role  of  James 
Moran,  in  'The  Memories  That  Haunt.'' 

Deeply  absorbed  in  his  work,  James  Mo- 
ran, the  author,  though  affectionate  and  con- 
siderate, will  not  allow  his  beautiful  wife,  Isabel, 
to  interfere  with  his  hours  of  work.  Loving  life 
and  pleasure,  she  cannot  understand  him.  Moran 
goes  to  another  city  to  confer  with  his  publishers, 
and,  while  he  is  away,  Isabel  puts  into  execution 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  57 


a  plan  she  has  long  contemplated.  She  writes 
to  her  husband  that,  though  she  admires  him,  she 
loves  life,  pleasure  and  sunshine  and  she  is  going 
where  she  can  find  it.  When  Moran  receives  this 
letter,  he  hastens  home  and.  with  face  white  and 
tense  with  despair,  enters  the  house,  which  he 
finds  deserted.  Unable  to  stand  the  loneliness  of 
the  place,  he  sails  for  a  foreign  country.  Out  at 
sea,  the  steamer  is  wrecked  and  hundreds  lose 
their  lives.  Moran  helps  the  women  and  chil- 
dren into  the  lifeboats  and  just  as  the  steamer  is 
going  down,  jumps  into  the  sea  and  gains  a  piece 
of  wreckage  to  which  he  clings.  Washed  ashore 
on  a  lighthouse  isle,  Moran  finds  new  friends  in 
the  lighthouse  keeper  and  his  wife  and  their  little 
grandchild.  He  feels  keenly  his  failure  to  have 
made  his  wife  happy,  and,  tortured  by  memories, 
he  writes  his  great  work,  in  solitude  and  calls 
it  "The  Memories  That  Haunt."  The  work  is 
published  as  the  work  of  an  unknown  author 
and  it  scores  a  tremendous  success.  It  is  com- 
mented on  as  very  like  the  work  of  Moran, 
though  deeper.    Isabel,  reading  it,  feels  that  only 


58  THE     LIFE     OF 


her  husband  could  have  written  the  book,  then 
laughs  at  the  idea,  and,  finally,  drawn  by  the 
memories  that  haunt,  visits  the  lighthouse  island. 
Here,  posing  as  a  tourist,  she  induces  the  keeper 
and  his  wife  to  let  her  see  the  writer's  room.  She 
can  find  no  clue  to  the  writer's  identity.  Moran 
returns  to  his  friends  on  the  island  and  is  told  in 
jest  that  'There  is  one  of  them  tourists  up  there 
now."  Amused,  he  goes  up  to  take  a  peep  at 
her,  only  to  come  face  to  face  with  his  wife. 
Their  reconciliation  is  complete;  they  under- 
stand each  other  now. 

For  the  stories  of  the  plots  of  the  foregoing 
photoplays,  I  am  indebted  to  the  Editor  of  the 
Vitagraph  Bulletin  of  Life  Portrayals,  published 
monthly  by  the  Vitagraph  Company  of  America 
in  the  interest  of  the  man  who  shows  the  Vita- 
graph Life  Portrayals  and  those  who  see  them. 


~     'f. 

r, 

o       n; 
3      ^ 


Thrilling  Experiences 


WHILE  taking  scenes  for  future  pictures 
sometimes  there  are  more  thrills  outside 
of  a  picture  than  those  supposed  to 
appear  in  the  photoplay,  which  arise  through  cir- 
cumstances existing  at  the  time  the  picture  is 
acted  out. 

Earle  Williams'  experiences  in  this  line  were 
exceedingly  uncomfortable,  during  the  taking  of 
the  rescue  scenes  in  a  railroad  wreck,  staged  by 
the  Vitagraph  Company  at  South  River,  New 
Jersey,  on  Sunday,  September  27th,  1914,  for 
the  photoplay  called  "The  Juggernaut." 

The  spectators  on  the  banks  had  thrills 
a-plenty  by  watching  those  acted  out  according 
to  the  scenario  and  those  that  were  not  recorded 
there. 

The  plans  of  the  Vitagraph  Company  to  throw 
a  passenger  train,  consisting  of  a  locomotive, 
tender  and  three  coaches,  from  a  trestle  into  the 
waters  of  a  lake,  were  carried  out  in  a  splendid 
manner.  ^ 


62  THE     LIFE     OF 

On  a  special  train,  chartered  by  the  Vitagraph 
Company,  the  party  left  New  York,  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  for  the  scene  of  the  ac- 
tion. At  the  time  of  departure  the  day  was  fine, 
but  when  the  train  arrived  at  South  River,  the 
sun  had  disappeared  behind  the  clouds  and  the. 
sky  was  overcast  with  a  thick  mist,  which,  never- 
theless, gave  a  steady  light  for  the  cameramen 
and  which,  photographically  speaking,  served  as 
a  poorer  substitute  for  ''Old  Sol." 

A  spur  from  the  Raritan  River  Railroad  had 
been  built  in  a  sharp  curve  for  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet  out  over  the  center  of  a  large 
pond.  It  was  just  a  temporary  structure  and 
ended  about  seventy  feet  from  the  opposite 
shore. 

Victor  Smith,  general  manager  of  the  Vita- 
graph  Company,  was  in  direct  charge  of  the 
affairs  of  the  day,  and  was  surrounded  by  the 
other  minor  officials,  each  in  charge  of  his  special 
department.  Edward  Wentworth  had  charge  of 
the  building  of  the  track  and  trestle,  while  Her- 
man Rogers  planned  the  dynamiting  which  took 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  63 

place.  Mr.  Rogers  is  well  remembered  for  his 
long  connection  with  Pain's  Fireworks,  which 
has  been  successfully  exhibited  throughout  the 
world  for  more  than  twenty  years.  Walter 
Arthur  was  head  cameraman  and  placed  the 
many  operators  at  the  best  points,  while  Walter 
Ackerman,  as  head  property  man,  looked  after 
his  part  in  the  proceedings  in  a  worthy  manner. 

Ralph  Ince,  as  director  of  the  picture,  was  the 
real  general  for  the  day,  and  guided  the  opera- 
tions in  his  masterful  way,  displaying  to  advan- 
tage, without  the  use  of  a  megaphone,  his 
qualities  of  commander  as  well  as  director. 

Many  things  happened  on  this  eventful  day. 
Just  as  Mr.  Ince  was  about  to  give  the  word  for 
the  train  to  start,  one  of  the  men  discovered  a 
dog  on  the  opposite  shore  beyond  the  end  of  the 
trestle,  near  one  of  the  cameramen. 

Mr.  Ince  thought  the  dog  would  interfere  with 
the  taking  of  the  picture  by  "buttin'  in"  on  the 
scene  and  spoiling  what  was  intended  to  be  the 
real  object  of  the  scene.  He  had  it  chased  away. 
The  dog  did  not  do  as  instructed;  he  ran  along 


64  THE     LIFE     OF 

the  bank  for  a  short  distance  and  then  made  a 
straight  swim  across  the  small  lake  to  a  position 
near  Mr.  Ince,  where  he  had  the  best  position  of 
all  the  spectators;  right  in  front  of  the  director, 
who,  of  course,  was  stationed  at  the  most  ad- 
vantageous point. 

When  Mr.  Ince  gave  the  signal  for  the  train 
to  start  about  one  o'clock,  the  engineer  of  the 
ill-fated  train  either  opened  up  the  throttle  too 
wide,  on  old  Engine  No.  56,  a  former  Long 
Island  Railroad  engine,  or  the  ratchet  on  the 
throttle  of  the  worn-out  locomotive  was  loose 
and  allowed  the  throttle  to  fly  open,  causing  the 
train  to  come  around  the  curve  and  onto  the 
trestle  with  increasing  speed  at  every  revolution, 
which  was  much  greater  than  the  speed  of 
fifteen  miles  per  hour,  as  intended  for  the  move- 
ment of  the  train,  when  making  the  plunge  into 
the  lake,  as  planned  in  the  details  preceding  the 
reproduction. 

The  train  raced  toward  the  end  of  the  trestle 
at  great  speed.  As  the  engine  neared  the  end. 
the  dynamite  under  the  structure  was  exploded. 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  65 

but  the  train  had  attained  such  a  velocity  of 
speed  that  the  engine  leaped  for  more  than 
twenty  feet  out  over  the  edge  of  the  trestle  and 
fell  into  the  water,  with  the  forward  cars  tele- 
scoping, while  the  last  car  neither  fell  into  the 
water  nor  remained  on  the  structure,  but  was 
balancing  between  the  two  at  an  angle  of  about 
forty-five  degrees,  with  the  front  and  rear  trucks 
of  the  car  disconnected  and  hanging  down  on  the 
safety  chains. 

One  of  the  cameramen  was  stationed  a  short 
distance  from  the  end  of  the  trestle  on  a  platform 
about  fifteen  feet  high.  He  was  in  a  very  danger- 
ous position,  because  of  the  leap  made  by  the 
locomotive  off  the  edge  of  the  trestle.  But  he  did 
not  seem  to  mind  the  close  proximity  of  the  mon- 
ster of  the  rail,  for  he  proceeded  to  take  the  pic- 
tures of  the  dying  exhausts  of  the  engine  with  a 
composure  that  was  admirable. 

Dummies  had  been  placed  in  the  cars  to  rep- 
resent passengers,  and  after  the  wreck  was  com- 
plete, it  was  found  that  the  arms  of  two  of  the 
"imitations"  were  sticking  through  the  broken 


66  THE     LIFE     OF 

panes  in  the  windows.  It  was  very  realistic. 
Another  dummy  was  standing  upright  in  the  last 
car  as  if  in  the  act  of  escaping  through  the  rear 
door. 

Then  came  the  "explosion"  of  the  boiler  in  the 
engine.  This  was  effected  by  placing  dynamite 
in  the  cab  and  setting  it  off.  Following  this  fea- 
ture was  the  bringing  down  of  the  last  car  from 
its  dangling  position  over  the  water.  The 
cameramen  were  placed  to  the  best  advantage 
and  then,  amid  the  creaking  of  falling  timbers 
and  the  splintering  of  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the 
car,  aided  by  a  giant  blast  of  dynamite,  the  last 
car  of  the  ill-fated  train  rolled  to  its  doom  along 
with  its  other  companions. 

It  was  a  stirring  sight  all  the  way  through  the 
taking  of  the  scenes,  and  one  which  will  never 
be  forgotten  by  those  spectators  who  were  fortu- 
nate to  witness  it. 

The  most  thrilling  experience  that  Mr. 
Williams  ever  has  had,  was  received  by  him  dur- 
ing the  minutes  that  followed  the  foregoing. 

The  water  was  very  deep  and  very  cold,  on 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  61 

account  of  being  fed  by  springs  from  the  bottom 
of  the  lake. 

Mr.  Williams  was  supposed  to  jump  in,  with 
his  clothes  on,  and  rescue  the  heroine  from  one 
of  the  cars.  There  were  dozens  of  persons  jump- 
ing out  of  the  car  windows  and  trying  to  swim 
ashore.  Mr.  Williams  and  four  of  the  others 
were  seized  with  cramps  and  they  all  shouted 
earnestly  for  help.  The  spectators  on  the  shore 
thought  it  was  a  part  of  the  scene,  until  several 
of  them  finally  saw  the  players  were  really  in 
distress.  Then  some  expert  swimmers  jumped 
in  and  gave  the  players  a  helping  hand.  They 
couldn't  get  Mr.  Williams  out  until  some  one 
threw  them  a  rope.  He,  and  the  other  unfortu- 
nate players,  were  soon  revived  and  a  few  hours 
later  were  none  the  worse  for  their  thrilling 
experience. 

His  other  thrilling  experience  was  in  the  fire 
scenes  in  'The  Vengeance  of  Durand."  He  was 
burned  on  the  hand  and,  in  making  an  exit,  fell 
and  was  badly  bruised. 

These  two  experiences  are  the  most  thrilling 


68  THE     LIFE     OF 

he  has  ever  had  in  his  career;  the  others  are  tame 
compared  to  these.  An  account  of  one  of  the 
latter  will  not  be  amiss  here,  as  it  serves  to  give 
some  idea  of  his  great  popularity. 

Earle  Williams  received  a  great  reception 
when  he  appeared  at  the  Majestic  Theater,  Buf- 
falo, and  talked  to  two  immense  audiences  in  the 
afternoon  and  evening. 

It  was  the  first  presentation  of  "The  Chris- 
tian,'*' in  that  city  and  the  moving  picture  lovers 
packed  the  theater  at  both  performances,  to  see 
him  in  person,  as  he  had  been  engaged  to  lecture 
on  his  work  before  the  camera. 

It  was  something  new  to  see  his  acting  on  the 
screen  and  then  see  the  actor  walk  from  the 
wings  onto  the  center  of  the  stage  with  all  the 
lights  turned  on,  and  he  was  applauded  so  that 
he  could  not  respond  for  several  moments. 

'it  requires  more  nerve  to  face  an  audience 
than  a  camera,"  he  said,  when  the  applause  had 
died  away.  'The  Vitagraph  Company  paid 
$35,000  to  produce  this  film  and  it  consumed 
eight  weeks  in  the  making.     We    had    some 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  69 

trouble  in  finding  a  place  to  produce  the  London 
street  scenes,  but  finally  reproduced  them  in  Bos- 
ton. Other  scenes  were  taken  in  nearby  towns 
in  Massachusetts. 

'i  have  played  several  parts  in  The  Chris- 
tian' while  in  stock  on  the  coast,  but  never 
played  the  leading  part,  "John  Storm,"  until  I 
was  selected  for  it  by  the  Vitagraph  manage- 
ment.   I  was  delighted  with  the  opportunity. 

'This  is  not  my  first  appearance  on  the  stage 
in  Buffalo.  Some  years  ago  I  appeared  at  the 
Lyric  in  The  Man  on  the  Box,'  and  I  was  at  the 
Star  with  Rose  Stahl.  In  'Way  Down  East,'  I 
played  the  villian." 

After  the  matinee  performance  Mr.  Williams 
was  making  his  way  to  the  street,  when  the 
crowd  was  pouring  out  of  the  theater,  and  when 
his  presence  became  known,  he  was  surrounded 
by  women,  several  of  whom  threw  their  arms 
about  his  neck,  while  others  made  desperate 
efforts  to  shake  his  hand.  One  woman  wrenched 
a  rosebud  from  the  lapel  of  his  coat  and  bore  it 
off  in  triumph,  after  several  fair  admirers  had 


70  THE     LIFE     OF 

made  strenuous  efforts  to  snatch  the  prize  from 
her. 

"I  have  had  enthusiastic  receptions  before,  but 
never  anything  like  that,"  gasped  Williams, 
when  he  was  rescued  from  the  admiring  women 
in  the  lobby  of  the  theater. 


Secrets  of  Success 


Earlc   Williams   in    Profile. 

(By    kind    permission    of    Tlie    Vitagrapii    t'ompany.) 


THE  qualities  that  have  helped  Earle 
Williams  to  find  fame  and  fortune,  are  his 
good  appearance— he  is  one  of  the  hand- 
somest actors  on  the  screen — his  personality — it 
is  agreed  that  there  is  no  other  actor  so  interest- 
ing—and his  ability  to  act— there  is  no  question 
to  the  contrary  about  his  talent  in  this  direction. 

He  lacks  one  inch  in  height  of  being  six  feet 
tall  and,  weighing  proportionately,  with  black 
hair,  dark  complexion  and  blue  eyes,  he  is  at 
once  the  idol  of  the  feminine  "fans"  and  the  hero 
of  a  majority  of  the  masculine  audiences. 

"I  try  not  to  overact,"  he  says,  and  we  agree 
that  he  does  not  overact.  This  is  a  great  fault 
with  so  many  actors  and  actresses  on  the  stage 
and  on  the  screen. 

The  monotonous  acting  of  the  characters  in  a 
slap-stick  comedy,  or  the  reeling  from  side  to  side 
by  drunken  characters  and  the  dragging  of 
people  across  rooms  and  down  steps  and  the 
everlasting  tumble  and  mix-up  at  the  bottom,  is 


74  THE     LIFE     OF 

beginning  to  get  on  one's  nerves.  Surely  it  does 
not  appeal  to  the  finer  element  of  photoplay- 
goers  of  today;  but  this  element  is  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  art  of  Earle  Williams,  because  it  is 
always  true  to  life  and  very  seldom  overdrawn. 

'i  try  to  be  perfectly  natural,"  he  says,  in  talk- 
ing of  his  methods.  "I  try  to  hve  the  part  I  am 
playing  instead  of  acting  it." 

It  will  be  readily  noted  that  he  believes  in 
dressing  the  parts  well  as  this  is  a  great  factor  in 
helping  him  on  the  road  to  success. 

Mr.  Williams  is  able  to  satisfy  his  intense  de- 
sire to  acquire  knowledge  on  all  topics.  The 
love  of  history  and  tales  of  travel  gives  him  a 
broad  taste  and  he  gathers  information  and 
knowledge  from  all  kinds  of  sources,  which 
greatly  helps  him  in  his  profession. 

Whenever  a  new  part  is  assigned  to  him,  he 
goes  direct  to  his  books  and  reads  up  on  the  sub- 
ject concerning  the  theme  of  the  picture.  In  this 
way  he  becomes  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
subject  and  is  therefore  able  to  give  a  complete 
portrayal,  which  is  true  to  the  life  he  is  interpret- 
ing. 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  75 


On  the  subject  of  advice  to  beginners,  Mr. 
Williams  says,  'There  is  a  great  field  for  the  be- 
ginner in  the  moving  picture  business.  The 
salaries  are  fine  and  the  hours  are  not  long." 

One  should  stop  to  think  that  in  saying  "be- 
ginner," Mr.  Williams  means  the  person  who  has 
been  engaged  for  small  parts  and  not  the  one 
who  is  thinking  of  applying  to  the  various  film 
companies  for  a  chance  to  show  what  he  or  she 
can  do. 

The  waiting  list  of  each  one  of  these  com- 
panies is  so  large  that  it  will  be  a  long  time  for 
the  person,  whose  name  is  at  the  bottom  of  the 
list,  to  secure  an  engagement. 

It  was  not  a  very  diflicult  matter  to  secure  an 
engagement  when  the  business  was  young  and 
the  people  of  the  stage  did  not  appreciate  the 
hold  the  pictures  had  acquired  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  but,  to-day,  with  many  of  the  people  of 
the  stage  going  in  for  them,  it  is  quite  an  impos- 
sible task  for  the  novice  to  secure  a  hearing. 

"One  must  first  have  the  appearance  and  per- 
sonality," Mr.  Williams  continued,    "and   then, 


76  THE     LIFE     OF 

with  hard  work,  one  is  bound  to  succeed.  Of 
course,"  he  added  "one  must  be  able  to  photo- 
graph fairly  well." 

This  is  the  first  requirement  of  the  profession. 

"My  uncle  who  was  one  of  the  best  character 
actors  under  the  management  of  Charles  Froh- 
man,  used  to  advise  me  not  to  go  on  the  stage," 
Mr.  Williams  said,  "but  I  am  glad  I  did  not  take 
his  advice.  I  have  been  successful  and  I  like  the 
work." 


His  Vacations 


WHEN  1  brought  this  up  as  a  subject  for 
one  of  the  chapters  in  this  book,  Mr. 
Williams  was  dubious  about  its  suita- 
bility. 

"1  cannot  see,"  he  said,  "how  the  public  would 
be  so  very  much  interested  in  this  part  of  my 
biography." 

I  knew  this  feeling  was  fostered  by  his  desire 
to  shun  publicity,  so  I  disagreed  with  him  and 
finally  persuaded  him  to  allow  me  to  write  about 
one  of  his  most  interesting  trips. 

One  always  likes  to  read  about  the  home  life 
of  famous  people  and  get  an  intimate  picture  of 
what  their  home  looks  like  and  what  they  are 
doing  in  this  best-of-all  place.  It  is  just  the  same 
with  trips  or  vacations  that  they  may  take. 

During  the  summer  of  1910,  after  his  success- 
ful engagement  with  Miss  Helen  Ware,  in  "The 
Third  Degree,"  Mr.  Williams  left  New  York  for 
a  trip  through  Europe.  He  had  always  a  desire 
to  make  the  trip,  but  this  was  the  first  time  he 


80  THE     LIFE     OF 

considered  his  savings,  accumulated  during  the 
season,  would  allow  him  this  great  privilege. 

The  trip  across  the  ocean  was  uneventful, 
other  than  the  usual  happenings  and  the  every- 
day routine  of  ocean  life  on  one  of  the  palatial 
liners  that  ply  the  Atlantic.  Of  course,  when  one 
is  crossing  for  the  first  time,  as  in  Mr.  Williams' 
case,  one  is  enthralled  by  the  wonders  that  ap- 
pear on  every  hand  and  with  the  novelty  of  new 
scenes  of  interesting  life  and  people. 

Mr.  Williams  thinks  the  Tower  of  London— 
the  first  place  of  note  visited— the  most  interest- 
ing place  to  a  tourist  in  London,  with  its  diflferent 
towers— like  the  Bloody  Tower,  or  the  White 
Tower— and  its  Traitor's  Gate,  through  which 
many  famous  people  passed  to  their  doom  under 
the  axe  of  the  headsman.  It  is  now  the  deposi- 
tory of  the  crown  jewels  and,  with  the  great 
amount  of  ammunition  stored  there,  it  is  indeed 
the  most  fascinating  place  in  the  old  city. 

He  fell  in  love  with  Hampton  Court,  on  the 
Thames  River.  It  is,  besides  being  very  beauti- 
ful, so  quiet  and  peaceful  there. 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  81 

Windsor  Castle,  one  of  the  homes  of  the  king, 
he  thought  interesting,  with  its  wonderful  paint- 
ings and  beautiful  statuary. 

Paris,  the  next  place  visited,  he  considers  the 
most  beautiful  city  in  the  world.  He  went  sight- 
seeing, of  course,  through  its  wonderful  streets 
and  parks,  and  gazed  upon  the  world-famous 
paintings  and  exquisite  statuary  in  "The 
Louvre."  Everyone  includes  this  fascinating 
structure  in  their  itinerary. 

Mr.  WiHiams  made  a  side  trip  to  Versailles. 
Recently  in  talking  about  this  city,  he  mentioned 
the  fact  that  he  thought  the  most  wonderful 
moving  picture  in  the  world  could  be  taken  in 
this  old  place.  It  is  rich  in  beautiful  settings  and 
scenes  calculated  to  thrill  audiences  with  wonder 
at  their  loveliness.  He  saw  them  manufacturing 
the  priceless  Gobelin  tapestry,  the  most  beautiful 
tapestry  in  the  world. 

From  Paris  he  went  to  Switzerland,  where  his 
first  stop  was  Geneva,  the  capital,  which  is  a 
beautiful  city,  but  is  not  as  interesting  as  some 
of  the  other  Swiss  places. 


82  THE     LIFE     OF 

From  Geneva  he  went  to  Chamonix,  at  the 
foot  of  Mt.  Blanc.  He  thinks  the  surrounding 
mountains  are  grand  and  inspiring.  He  took  a 
trip  up  to  Montenvers,  with  an  elevation  of 
seventy-one  hundred  feet,  to  see  the  Mere  de 
Glace,  the  most  wonderful  glacier  in  Europe.  It 
is  indeed  an  inspiring  sight  to  see  that  river  of  ice. 

He  next  visited  Zermatt,  at  the  base  of  the 
Matterhorn.  Although  not  as  high  as  some  of 
the  other  mountains,  it  seems  higher  because  it 
rises  alone  and  is  like  a  jagged  piece  of  glass. 

"To  my  way  of  thinking,"  Mr.  Williams  said, 
recently,  in  talking  about  this  trip.  ''Montreux 
is  the  most  beautiful  place  in  Switzerland.  Situ- 
ated on  the  upper  end  of  Lake  Geneva,  it  com- 
mands a  wonderful  view  of  the  lake  and  sur- 
rounding mountains. 

'To  stand  on  the  veranda  of  the  Montreux 
Palace  Hotel  and  look  out  over  the  lake,  with  the 
historic  Castle  of  Chillon  below  one,  and  the 
range  of  mountains  in  the  distance,  called  the 
Dent  du  Midi,  is  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten." 

He  also  visited  Interlaken,  took  a  trip  up  to 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  83 

Scheiddeg,  on  the  way  to  the  Jungfrau — an  ele- 
vation of  ten  thousand  feet— got  caught  in  a  hail- 
storm and  returned  to  Interlaken.  It  was  rather 
unusual  to  be  in  a  hailstorm  during  July. 

He  visited  Lucerne,  Thum,  Montbovon  and 
then  went  down  the  Italian  lakes — Lugano  and 
Como— which  he  thinks  are  beautiful,  especially 
the  latter,  with  its  wonderful  villas  and  vine-clad 
terraces. 

"I  shall  never  forget  the  trip  I  took  on  the 
steamer  from  Menaggio  to  the  city  of  Como,"  he 
said,  with  enthusiasm.  "The  lake  is  so  narrow 
in  places  it  seems  like  a  river  and,  at  each  new 
turn  the  boat  makes,  new  and  wonderful  scenes 
are  opened  up  to  one's  view.'' 

He  visited  the  magnificent  cathedral  in  Milan 
and  "La  Scala,"  the  world-famous  opera  house. 

Mr.  Wilhams  thinks  Venice  is  wonderful  espe- 
cially at  night  and  says,  "What  a  city  it  must 
have  been  when  it  was  the  proud  mistress  of  the 
Adriatic.  No  wonder  Browning  and  Byron 
lived  there;  the  very  air  is  filled  with  romance." 

Florence,   Rome  and   Naples  were  next  en- 


84  THE     LIFE     OF 

joyed.  He  saw  all  the  principal  places  in  St. 
Peter's,  the  Vatican,  Castle  St.  Angelo,  on  the 
Appian  Way  and  the  Colosseum. 

While  in  Naples,  he  took  a  side  trip  to  Sorrento 
and  visited  the  home  of  the  famous  American 
novelist,  F.  Marion  Crawford.  He  saw  his  study, 
octagonal  in  shape,  in  the  tower,  and  the  beauti- 
ful facade  overlooking  the  sea,  which  Mr.  Craw- 
ford designed  and  built  to  protect  his  home  from 
the  encroachment  of  the  waves. 

He  went  to  Capri  and  was  in  the  Blue  Grotto. 

To  him,  Pompeii  is  the  most  interesting  lot  of 
ruins  in  the  world.  There  one  is  brought  in  such 
close  contract  with  the  ruins  of  the  homes  the 
people  used  to  live  in.  The  ruins  of  Rome  are 
mostly  public  buildings  and  very  different  from 
those  of  Pompeii. 

On  his  return  from  Naples,  he  visited  Palermo, 
Sicily  and  Gibraltar  and  stopped  for  a  day  at  the 
Azores  Islands.  The  vessel  touched  at  Fayal,  a 
port  very  seldom  visited.  It  is  a  quaint  place; 
many  years  behind  the  times. 

"I  reached  New  York  after  a  three  months'  trip 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  85 

and,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  hated  to  come  back,"  he 
said.  "I  feel  that  I  had  learned  more  in  that  three 
months  than  I  could  have  learned  in  ten  years  by 
remaining  in  America." 


Home  Life 


EARLE  WILLIAMS  has  not  much  home  life. 
He  is  a  bachelor.  His  father  and  mother 
are  too  fond  of  California  to  live  in  the 
east,  so  he  lives  alone  in  a  bachelor  apartment  in 
Brooklyn  to  be  near  his  work. 

The  large  eastern  studio  of  the  Vitagraph  Com- 
pany is  located  in  Brooklyn  and  he  lives  within 
six  miles  of  it. 

Mr.  Williams  is  a  lover  of  good  books.  He 
likes  to  read,  but  does  not  find  very  much  time 
to  do  so.  He  has  some  good  books  in  his  apart- 
ment but  not  a  large  array  of  them.  He  prefers 
the  books  of  Balzac,  Dumas,  "Ouida,"  F.  Marion 
Crawford  and  Eugene  Sue.  His  really  favorite 
authors  among  these  are  "Ouida"  and  Alexandre 
Dumas.  He  prefers  beautiful  romantic  and  dra- 
matic stories  to  the  more  modern  "trashy"  fic- 
tion. One  of  the  finest  stories  ever  written,  in 
his  estimation,  was  'The  Wandering  Jew,"  by 
Eugene  Sue. 

He  spends  the  larger  portion   of   his   leisure 


90  THE     LIFE     OF 


hours  in  answering  his  correspondence  and 
going  to  the  theaters  and  attending  the  excellent 
productions  of  grand  opera  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House. 

He  receives  many  letters  asking  for  aid,  mostly 
from  boys  and  girls  who  have  had  no  experience, 
who  ask  him  if  he  can  get  them  a  position  in 
the  Vitagraph  Stock  Company.  Many  of  the 
photoplayers  claim  that  their  daily  mail  carries 
many  letters  asserting  that  their  acting,  in  some 
special  role,  has  helped  the  writer,  but  this  is  not 
the  case  with  the  mail  that  comes  to  the  desk  of 
Earle  Williams.  He  has  never  had  a  letter  of  this 
nature,  but  he  receives  hundreds  of  letters  com- 
plimenting him  on  his  work  and  asking  for  auto- 
graphed photographs.  He  tries  to  answer  all, 
but  finds  that  an  impossibility.  He  feels  grateful 
to  the  public  because  he  knows  that  they  have 
helped  him  in  his  success.  He  does  not  have  a 
private  secretary,  preferring  to  answer  his  corres- 
pondence himself. 

As  there  are  about  fifty  first-class  theaters  in 
New  York,  he  has  no  preference  among  them, 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  91 

but  likes  to  see  good  dramas  and  comedies,  and 
usually  attends  about  twice  a  week. 

Having  a  taste  for  grand  opera,  he  generally 
attends  the  productions  at  'The  Metropolitan,"' 
the  only  good  grand  opera  house  in  New  York. 

His  favorite  operas  are  "Cavalleria  Rusticana," 
Pagliacci,"  "Carmen,"  "Lucia  de  Lammermoor" 
and  "Aida." 

His  favorite  singers  are  Caruso,  Scotti,  Des- 
tinn,  Gadski,  Tetrazzini  and  Titta  RuflFo. 

He  is  fond  of  all  out-of-doors  sport  but  he  says 
that  his  favorite  recreation  is  motoring.  He  likes 
to  drive  his  own  car,  and  gets  more  pleasure  and 
enjoyment  out  of  it  than  if  it  was  driven  by  some 
one  else.  He  thinks  twilight  in  the  summer  is  the 
most  beautiful  part  of  the  day  to  drive. 

Mr.  Williams  has  practically  no  hobbies  and 
is  absolutely  normal,  like  any  other  human 
being. 

Occasionally  he  has  been  approached  with 
offers  to  return  to  the  stage,  but  not  recently. 
He  has  received  many  offers  to  go  with  other 
picture  companies,  but  he  has  refused  them  all. 


92  THE     LIFE     OF 

Ofttimes  he  has  a  yearning  to  play  a  part  on 
the  regular  stage,  but  he  thinks  he  would  not  care 
to  go  back  on  it  permanently.  He  has  traveled 
so  much — having  played  every  city  in  the  United 
States  of  any  importance — that  he  likes  to  stay 
in  one  place  and  enjoy  the  comforts  of  home  as 
much  as  he  can. 

He  says  he  does  miss  the  influence  of  an  audi- 
ence and  he  finds  it  harder  to  do  good  work  in 
front  of  the  camera  than  in  front  of  an  audience. 
However  it  has  its  compensations,  for  a  film 
actor's  work  lives,  while  a  legitimate  actor's 
work  lives  only  in  one's  memory. 

The  players  of  the  Vitagraph  do  not  do  much 
in  the  way  of  entertaining.  If  they  were  in  a 
small  city,  perhaps  there  would  be  much  of  in- 
terest in  a  social  way,  but  there  is  so  much  going 
on  in  New  York  all  the  time,  and  they  have  so 
many  friends  outside  of  the  profession,  that  they 
do  not  give  many  entertainments  themselves. 

Very  few  of  the  players  have  bungalows  or 
country-homes  and  Mr.  Williams  very  seldom 
attends  any  week-end  parties.    Most  of  them  do 


EARLE     WILLIAMS  93 

a  great  deal  of  motoring  during  the  summer  and 
he  prefers  it  to  any  other  sport.  He  has  motored 
so  much  through  Connecticut  and  Westchester 
County,  New  York,  that  he  knows  every  nook 
and  comer  of  it. 

"A  home  to  go  to,  a  continuous  change  of 
roles,  life  in  the  open,  and  rest  are  a  few  of  the 
advantages  of  working  in  the  films,"  he  says. 
"And  for  these  reasons  I  am  perfectly  happy  and 
enjoy  my  work." 


/v 


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